ADP Says 216,000 Jobs Added In February

Payroll giant ADP is saying that the private-sector economy added 216,000 jobs in the month of February, according to its latest National Employment Report.

The biggest increases were at small businessesdefined by ADP as those with fewer than 50 workerswhere payrolls increased by 108,000. Medium businesses (50-499 workers) added 88,000 jobs.

ADP only tracks payrolls in the private sector; government hiring probably won’t affect employment numbers that much as payrolls in the public sector have been mostly flat the last few months. But the full report will be out Friday.